Baz pursed her lips and squinted. Willa squinted back. Finally Baz blinked. “Well ... hold on a sec.”
She shut the door again and a great ruckus began inside — banging, a loud thumping up the stairs, more banging, whispered arguing. When all was quiet, Baz suddenly swung the door open, grabbed Willa by the arm, and yanked her inside, slamming the door after her.
Willa stumbled into the dark hall, dropping her posters. She stooped to pick them up, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the gloom. The place smelled distinctly of cat. She followed Baz into the parlour, where someone was shouting.
The room was dark, the sunshine blotted out by heavy red curtains. It was very old-fashioned and crazily cluttered, with leather armchairs and ottomans underfoot and a flowery sofa scuffed by cat claws. There was a fireplace, a piano, spidery plants on little end tables, a large dollhouse in the corner, ghostly white teacups on dark shelves, and doilies over the backs of the chairs. A large birdcage hung in one dark corner, housing some kind of bird, asleep with its head under its wing. More immediately, however, Belle and a distinguished old gentleman were shouting across the room at one another.
“You know-nothing pompous ass!” Belle barked.
“Loud-mouthed shrew!” the man hollered back, frowning behind tiny wire spectacles. Willa watched in alarm as Belle grabbed a teacup and hurled it at the man. He neatly deflected it with a throw cushion, sending it crashing into the piano. Baz didn’t seem to mind the ruckus. Grinning, she draped herself on the sofa with her hands folded beneath her chin.
The man picked up a scone and lobbed it at Belle; she in turn grabbed another teacup.
“Stop! Stop!” Willa hollered. They turned, staring, and she felt herself blushing.
Belle dropped the cup onto an ottoman. “We have a visitor. Behave yourself, Horace.”
The man straightened his tie and jacket, looking very tweedy and professorial. He sat back down as Belle swivelled her wheelchair to peer at Willa. “Who are you and what do you want?”
“I’m Willa. I was here the other day....” Blank look. “Selling newspapers?” Belle shrugged, tucking her blanket around her legs. Willa tried again. “You wanted me to take you to the ocean, remember?”
At this Belle’s eyes lit up. Her face split into a grin. “Oh! and you’ve come to take me there. You dear, sweet, sweet girl!”
“No, I can’t do that, exactly....”
Belle’s face fell into a scowl. “Well, what good are you then?” This was it. Willa stepped forward.
“I’ve come to help you.”
Horace sat up quickly. “Then settle this for us. Who do you think would win in a fight ... Odin or Zeus?” Both he and Belle leaned forward, eagerly awaiting her answer.
Willa blinked in surprise. “You mean, the gods Odin and Zeus?” They nodded. “What kind of a fight?”
Belle answered, holding up her own bony fists. “A bare-knuckle brawl. No magic, no flying, no weapons, no outside help. Who would you bet on?” Willa thought it over carefully for a moment.
“I don’t think they’d fight. Wouldn’t it make more sense if it was Thor and Ares? The gods of war?”
The old man cackled. “You have a point there,” he started, but was interrupted by a loud banging from upstairs. He shouted up at the ceiling. “She says they wouldn’t fight!” He was answered by a loud crash that made Willa jump. Horace grinned. “Our distinguished colleague upstairs disagrees with your assessment.”
Belle was scowling. “Hogwash,” she grumbled. “Of course they’d fight, they’re cranky old men! Anyway, Wilma isn’t here to settle arguments. She’s here to take me to the beach, the darling.” She had turned all sweet again and was clutching at Willa’s arm.
“It’s Willa, and I’m sorry, I can’t. I just came to —”
Belle snatched a poster from her hand and scowled as she looked it over. “Yesterday it was newspapers, today it’s odd jobs. You’re in every racket going!” She crumpled the poster and tossed it over her shoulder. “We’ve already got someone! Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!” She flicked off the brake on her chair and rolled through the dining room and out into the kitchen, Baz padding along behind her. Willa turned back to the old man, Horace. He shrugged.
“Miss Trang is not fond of outsiders coming into the house, so you should probably be on your way.”
He gestured kindly but firmly toward the door. Willa hung back. None of this was going the way it should. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “How many people live here?” The old man scratched his head. “People? That rather depends on your definition....”
Willa continued, the words tumbling out. “Is ... is Miss Trang ... keeping all of you prisoner here?” Horace blinked a couple of times then burst into laughter.
“Prisoner? Keeping us PRISONER? HAhahahah!” He slapped his knee and doubled over, guffawing loudly.
Willa blushed. “I just thought ... ” she began, but was interrupted by a tremendous CRASH from the kitchen. Horace headed that way, still howling with laughter.
“Girls! Wait’ll you hear this!”
Willa winced. How could she have been so wrong ... about everything? Laughter erupted in the kitchen. It was time to leave.
As she turned to go, something moved in the corner, making her jump. It was the bird, stirring in its cage. In the dim light its feathers shone dully, red and gold with a metallic sheen. Willa watched as it slowly pulled its head out from under its wing and looked at her. Willa held her breath. Instead of the parrot she thought it was, this creature looked more like a hawk or an eagle. Long, sharp talons gripped the perch, and above a cruel yellow beak two eyes burned like embers. It stared evenly at her as Willa stood frozen in her tracks. As the bird looked right through her, she felt her thoughts laid out, bare and open. Then the bird blinked, and such warmth flooded into its eyes that Willa felt comforted, embraced, and happy. And strong. And brave. It was odd, but she no longer felt the sting of embarrassment over her misguided mission, even though she could still hear Horace and the ladies giggling in the kitchen.
Reluctantly, Willa turned to leave, but caught sight of something scurrying under the sofa. It must be one of the cats she kept hearing but not seeing. Willa bent to look beneath the sofa. “Here kitty, kitty ...”
There was a soft skittering and a rustling in the floor-length drapes. Willa followed the sound along the drapes to a big armchair in the corner. Aha! Got you cornered now, thought Willa as she knelt on the chair and looked over the high back.
Crouched on the floor behind the chair was a hairy little man, only a few inches tall, staring up at her with large, scared eyes. Willa stared in shock. Behind her an angry voice suddenly filled the room.
“WHAT IN HEAVEN’S NAME ARE YOU DOING?”
Willa spun around. Miss Trang was in the doorway, a bag of groceries in her arms, her face dark with anger. Willa shrunk back in the chair.
“I — I was just ... looking for your cat, and ...” Her voice trailed off. Horace, Belle, and Baz appeared in the dining room, watching with wide eyes.
Miss Trang dropped the bag and tin cans clattered across the floor. “We don’t HAVE a cat!” she hissed, moving slowly toward Willa and casting a cold, cold shadow. Willa opened her mouth but no words came out. Miss Trang leaned closer and closer, until her face was inches from Willa’s. Willa stared into her unblinking eyes — they were golden in colour, with flicks of red shooting through them. She held her breath as Miss Trang stared at her for a long, terrible moment.
Swick! Everyone